The present invention relates to an inflatable boat assembly and more particularly, to a rigid hull engaged with an inflatable U-shaped floating tube and installed with an outboard motor thereon. The boat assembly of the present invention provides an improved floating force which produces improved safety against sinking.
Inflatable boats made of rubber material are known which can be punctured by sharp objects causing the boats to become waterlogged. Furthermore, since the bottom of such boats is flexible, a separate rigid floor should be fitted thereon. There is the other problem with the prior art boats, that is, it is difficult for them to be assembled or disassembled.
In order to reduce or eliminate these problems, an inflatable boat has been suggested such as that discloses in U.S. Pat. No. 3,261,038 wherein a shell having two side walls is provided; a floatation tube is utilized for engaging each of concave outer faces of the walls of the shell, and straps are provided for securing the tube to the shell. However, it is difficult to assembly, disassemble or transport such a boat since the boat requires three basic components for assembly. Also the shell of the prior art patent is of a large construction which makes it difficult to transport and assemble.
Also, German Pat. No. 1,222,813 discloses an inflatable dinghy which has inflatable walls and a base of flexible, waterproof material stretched therebetween, However, this dinghy is a single unit and not a boat assembly, that is, it is not comprised of a plurality of elements which can be disassembled for storage and easy transportation.